theofficialbestiaryfandomcom-20200213-history
Tirasian
Kul Tiras is a human city-state built on an island once located south-west of Lordaeron and west of Khaz Modan. During the Cataclysm, the island was shifted out to sea by shifting tectonic plates: both the land's and the city's current whereabouts is unknown. During the Second War, the maritime nation pledged its fleets to the Alliance of Lordaeron; Lord Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, ruler of Kul Tiras, became the famed Grand Admiral of the Alliance. The city-state has fallen silent since Daelin's death in a Horde assault on the city of Theramore shortly after the Third War. While it was a member of the original Alliance, Kul Tiras has become silent after the Third War and its exact status remains a mystery at the current time. The people of Kul Tiras are known as Tirasians. History Over one thousand years ago, the city-state of Kul Tiras was founded upon a large island west of Khaz Modan and in between Stormwind and Lordaeron. Kul Tiras developed a thriving economy based on fishing and exports. Over the years mighty fleets of merchant vessels were built and they sailed throughout the seas in search of exotic goods to trade and sell. Before the Second War and uniquely among the post-Arathorian states, Kul Tiras had not become a kingdom in the proper sense of the term (i.e. a state or country ruled by a king or queen). Instead, it remained a city-state, ruled by a Lord Admiral, who was a noble and not a member of royalty, like the Sunstrider dynasty and the House of Menethil. The Second War Always possessing a heavily armed and extremely powerful fleet, Kul Tiras only used their war vessels to protect shipping passages between the mainland and the island. Upon the Second War, their war fleets were unleashed as Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore entered Kul Tiras into the Alliance and took a vow to help his old friend, Sir Anduin Lothar. Despite the first sea battle against the orcish war fleet which resulted in the destruction of the human war ships, the armada of Kul Tiras proved to be a valuable asset of the Alliance war effort. Throughout the war Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore proved to be one of the staunchest supporters of the Alliance. Even though the fleets had triumphed in the Second War, the Horde ships devastated the fleet and it never has recovered since. The loss of the Third Fleet to the dragon-riders of the Dragonmaw orcs was one such blow, taking with it Derek Proudmoore, eldest son of the Grand Admiral. Beyond the Dark Portal Even though the game mentions Kul Tiras left the Alliance right after the Second War, as per the novel, Kul Tiras remained with the Alliance and reported the status of the Horde's move. Also in contrast with the game, the attack on Kul Tiras never happened but their fleet was attacked by black dragons. Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal The Alliance claimed victory over the Orcish Horde in the Second War, and the Dark Portal was destroyed. With Sir Lothar's death at the assault on Blackrock Spire, Admiral Proudmoore pulled his nation from the Alliance, which had descended into chaotic bickering, especially on what should be done to the orcish clans taken prisoner in the war. Proudmoore objected to King Teranas II of Lordaeron's decision to inter the orcs in camps across Stromgarde and Lordaeron, as many other nations did, as they would all have to share the cost of keeping their former enemies alive, including Orgrim Doomhammer, Warchief of the Horde and the Orc that felled Lothar. Kul Tiras left the Alliance of Lordaeron sometime afterwards. The island nation enjoyed a fleeting peace. With the reopening of the Dark Portal, Kul Tiras itself was attacked by a renewed Orcish offensive on the orders of Ner'zhul, spiritual leader of the orcs on their homeland of Draenor. Its fleet was assaulted both at sea and in port by the Shadowmoon clan, who laid waste at the very least to its harbor, ships and what armies were rallied against them in a preemptive strike in order to allow safe passage to Lordaeron. The carnage wrought upon his homeland left an indelible mark on Admiral Proudmoore's conscience. Kul Tiras rejoined the Alliance. The Third War A Kul Tiras Marine base on the islands held by the Darkspear Tribe, and implied to be hostile to the trolls, was destroyed by Thrall’s New Horde as it made its way across the Great Sea to Kalimdor, coinciding with an attack by the naga Sea Witch Zar’jira and her murloc minions. Kul Tiras sent its fleets against the undead Scourge that ravaged northern and western Lordaeron but was able to do very little. Most of the ships were destroyed, heavily damaged, or retreated back to Kul Tiras. Jaina Proudmoore, a powerful sorceress of Dalaran and the dear daughter of Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, had been convinced by the mysterious Prophet that sailing west to Kalimdor with refugees from Lordaeron was the only course to save humanity. She commandeered half of the remaining Kul Tiras fleet and took them immediately across the Great Sea, in her haste apparently leaving her father uninformed. This “Human Expedition” comprised members of most Alliance-aligned nations and races as well as many of Kul Tiras' finest soldiers. Jaina's goal was to reach the Oracle at Stonetalon Peak, which Thrall and the Horde also sought. The two factions warred across the Stonetalon Mountains, until the two leaders simultaneously stumbled upon the Prophet who had sent them both to Kalimdor, imploring them to unite against the arrival of the Burning Legion. The two unlikely allies ultimately agreed to put aside their history of conflict, and worked together to defeat the corrupted Warsong Clan of Grom Hellscream in the Barrens. Moving their forces into Ashenvale Forest, the humans and orcs battled with the invading Legion’s demons and their Scourge minions, as well as the xenophobic night elf Sentinels. Jaina was able to help in the Legion's defeat at Mount Hyjal with another desperate alliance with the night elves, and eventually decided to stay in Kalimdor with the people that had travelled with her, founding Theramore Isle. Her unlikely treaty with Thrall and the orcs, who settled in nearby Durotar, remained inviolate. The Founding of Durotar Several months later, the Grand Admiral, figuring that he could not prevent Lordaeron's fall and worrying that his daughter may require help in the western lands, took the remaining ships and sailed to Kalimdor to find her. His grand armada took with it a sizeable portion of Kul Tiras’ population, apparently many settlers as well as soldiers and sailors. At first, the location of Jaina and the survivors of Lordaeron was unknown - Lieutenant Alverold was dispatched to scout the whole coastline of Kalimdor, while Proudmoore ordered various forces to head inland (such as Captain Thornby). Camps and fortifications soon sprung up across the eastern coast of Kalimdor. Unwilling to even parlay with the orcs that were his daughter's allies, the Grand Admiral relentlessly attacked the Horde in Durotar. Thrall ultimately ordered retaliation against the humans responsible, although he was unable to conclude them a separate force from Jaina’s Theramore. The Kul Tiras fleet began attacking the Horde settlements on the Echo Isles, forcing the Darkspear trolls to relocate to the mainland. Kul Tiras forces even attempted to assassinate Thrall by trying to lure him to a parlay. Finally, Rexxar and his companions were sent by Thrall to Theramore to deliver a personal plea to explain the spate of human aggression, bypassing a large new settlement at Tidefury Cove. Jaina met with Thrall’s emissaries, and was bewildered by their accusations. Demanding to see proof, they journeyed back to Tidefury Cove to discover it destroyed by Naga. Finding survivors, Jaina recognised them as her countrymen. Teleporting back to Theramore Isle, Jaina was helpless to explain as her father arrived dramatically. Initially overjoyed, Admiral Proudmoore was incensed by his daughter’s alliance with the Horde, and ordered her and the emissaries to be seized, taking over Theramore’s military and defences. He returned to his main base at Tiragarde Keep in Durotar, building up for an assault on the orc capital of Orgrimmar. Thrall managed to rouse the trolls, tauren and even Stonemaul ogres to the Horde’s banner, and the two factions battled across northern Durotar and at sea, ending with Tiragarde’s destruction. Thrall marched his armies to Dustwallow Marsh, where he was advised by a renegade Jaina Proudmoore to hire goblin shipbuilders to construct warships capable of breaking the blockade of Theramore, on the condition that Thrall attempt to spare the lives of her soldiers. After a long and climactic battle within Theramore itself, Daelin Proudmoore lay dead, slain by Rexxar, the Champion of the Horde. The remaining humans stood down, and a devastated Jaina ran to her father’s side. Thrall left the city intact, and understanding this had been an incident out of Jaina's control, he maintained his treaty with Theramore Isle. A sizeable, second wave of Kul Tiras sailors and marines from the Grand Admiral's expedition, led by Lieutenant Benedict, established themselves in Tiragarde Keep sometime later, continuing to fight the Horde as per Admiral Proudmoore’s orders. Even though the Horde was unable to expel them for many years, the Keep and its sailors were finally destroyed by the Cataclysm. The fate of Lieutenant Alverold’s expedition around Kalimdor is still unknown. People and culture Something originating from Kul Tiras is known as "Tirasian", a term sometimes erroneusly spelled as "Tirassian". While the crews of Tirasian ships are known to be easily amused, the nation's merchant lords are notorious for their bald pates. Military Kul Tiras has a number of named military organizations: *Kul Tiras Elite Corps (accompanied Jaina Proudmoore's forces to Kalimdor) *Admiral's Elite Guard (guarded Admiral Daelin Proudmoore in battle on Theramore Isle) *Kul Tiras Irregulars *Kul Tiras City Guard Along with the standard human, dwarven, gnomish and historically high elven soldiery of the Alliance, Kul Tiras has employed: *Hydromancers *Navy Swordsmen *Navy Snipers *Crusaders Presence in World of Warcraft Kul Tiras played a major part in the events of the Second and Third Wars (that is, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness and Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos). However, according to the official World of Warcraft map, Kul Tiras is missing and does not appear off the shores of Khaz Modan. According to the lore, it is still a thriving (if somewhat diminished) part of the Alliance, and had barely been touched by the Scourge. In the RPG book Lands of Conflict, and in Lands of Mystery, Kul Tiras still appears on the map. For a long time Blizzard made no comments as to whether Kul Tiras would appear in World of Warcraft. It is still possible that Kul Tiras will be added in future expansions or content drops, such as Gilneas. Blizzard blue poster Nethaera commented on this in a forum post stating that although there is a possibility of its inclusion later in the game they had no plans for it at present due to the large amount of story they already want to cover. Although Kul Tiras itself does not appear in the game at present, there are Kul Tirasian settlements scattered across the eastern coast of Kalimdor, most notably at Tiragarde Keep in Durotar. The forces of Theramore Isle and Northwatch Hold wear the anchor of Kul Tiras on a white field instead of green, reflecting Theramore's semi-autonomy from Kul Tiras under Jaina Proudmoore's rule. Kul Tiras Marines are briefly mentioned in part of the 'Missing Diplomat' quest chain. Kul Tiras Wine appears in Northrend for the quest 'In Wine, Truth.' Cataclysm Kul Tiras was not added in the Cataclysm expansion to World of Warcraft. According to Bornakk, Kul Tiras "will not be visible at the start of Cataclysm – something about tectonic plates shifting it out to sea.... We may yet get to experience Kul Tiras in later patches". At Blizzcon 2010, Alex Afrasiabi responded to a questioner, "We have to save something for the future patches, not now. We will deal with Kul Tiras in the future." The isle of Tol Barad, however, which used to belong to Kul Tiras, was added in the Cataclysm expansion. Baradin's Wardens, the Alliance faction on Tol Barad, were known to wear Kul Tiras tabards in an early beta screenshot of the Eastern Earthshrine, though it was later changed. Recently released info regarding Baradin's Wardens states that many of them do indeed hail from Kul'Tiras, suggesting the kingdom's continued involvement in Alliance affairs. RPG People and culture The people of Kul Tiras are wealthy, especially compared to the ravaged northern lands, and proud of their nation. They wear traditional green and fly flags with Kul Tiras’s anchor emblem. Like Hillsbrad’s citizens, Kul Tiras’s people celebrate Hordefall every year. They hate the Scourge for wiping out the rest of their continent; they hate naga, murlocs and pirates for sinking their ships and stealing their resources; and they hate orcs for decimating their fleets in the Second War. They are staunch members of the Alliance and friends of Ironforge. In the absence of his father, Admiral Tandred Proudmoore is now the acting leader of Kul Tiras. Tandred has built the Kul Tiras fleet back up, but it does not compare to the once grand fleets of years past. With help from his lady friend Captain Mishan Waycrest they do their best to destroy the murlocs, naga, and pirates that threaten the coasts and vessels of Kul Tiras. The citizens of Kul Tiras possess a deep-seated anxiety. Their eyes dart about. Often looking to the west, where the greatest leaders of Kul Tiras and many of their warriors vanished, they wonder if they will ever again see their missing families. They are glad to have a Proudmoore as their leader, but all know that Tandred is not the man his father was. In Kul Tiras, murlocs and naga crawl from the sea to torment sailors and fishermen. Pirates roam the waters preying on merchant vessels. Captain Dannol Scurvgrin, a truly vile pirate lord, has ties to the Bloodsail Pirates of the South Seas and sees Kul Tiras as his next big prize. Trivia/Notes (TBA) Credits *The entirety of this article comes directly from Wowpedia. The article can be viewed here. *The artwork on this article is mostly official and was created by Blizzard Entertainment and/or their affiliates. **The current profile picture was created by an unknown artist. **The image located in the "Military" section was created by an unknown artist. Category:Races Category:Humanoids Category:Creatures